


i don't like your 18 girlfriends

by 991102



Category: Wanna One (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, M/M, One Sided Enemies to Lovers, i just want to see daniel in a soccer uniform is that too much to ask, nu'est adopt ong please, soup as a friendship staple
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-28
Updated: 2018-12-28
Packaged: 2019-09-29 02:37:24
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,816
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17194904
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/991102/pseuds/991102
Summary: daniel is the university’s star striker and campus heartthrob, and he’s in the mood for a little lovin' from a certain lit major by the name of ong seongwu, but it’s not long before he realizes it’s a bit hard to score a date with a guy who hates youin which seongwu drinks a little too much and daniel is absolutely smitten





	i don't like your 18 girlfriends

**Author's Note:**

> what's up this is just a compilation of the written parts + edits of my soccer player niel au on twitter yuh

seongwu doesn’t remember how he got to… uhh… wherever he actually is, but here he is! minhyun had left him to find jonghyun and dongho, and seongwu thinks minhyun had told him to “wait here until i come back”, but seongwu has always been a bit bad at listening to minhyun. 

 

a couple of drinks and a hotdog later, and seongwu had been led away by a beetle that climbed over his shoe. 

 

see? seongwu wasn’t  _ that _ tipsy. 

 

it took some intense concentration to follow that tiny bug across the stadium’s parking lot, and seongwu doesn’t think he’s ever been this focused even when he’s sober. 

 

seongwu and the beetle’s little game of follow-the-leader is cut short when a shiny high heel lands mercilessly on the small bug, a loud crunch marking the end of the beetle’s life as seongwu watches on in horror. seongwu’s jaw drops, near tears in his drunken state at the unfair and sudden death of his little friend. 

 

before seongwu can hold a mini funeral for his fallen comrade, his phone goes off, an incessant  _ ding! ding! ding! _ that momentarily distracts him from his grief. seongwu giggles when he reads minhyun’s messages, tapping away at his phone and sending back his own replies. 

 

he doesn’t really understand his own messages (at this point he’s just typing whatever comes to mind), but he doesn’t dwell on that fact for long ‘cause his attention is soon drawn by the pack of wild dogs (girls) flocking a bit to his right, some running right into him in their haste and knocking him off balance.

 

like a broken record, they all seem to be saying the same thing: 

 

“daniel oppa!” “kang daniel!” “sunbae!” “good luck oppa!” “fighting kang daniel!” “kang daniel oppa!”

 

seongwu cocks his head to the side in confusion from his comfy spot on the ground, unable to process whatever is going on before his eyes with the alcohol in his system. 

 

girls.  _ a lot _ of girls. 

 

a name echoes in his ears. 

 

kang daniel. 

 

kang daniel oppa? 

 

“kang daniel? oppa?” seongwu blurts out, nodding to himself for a moment. seongwu tests the name on his tongue, rolling the syllables around in his mouth. “kang daniel oppa.” sounds about right. after another moment, what left seongwu’s mouth finally sinks in, the mumble of “oppa” like a joke, and he bursts into laughter, clutching his stomach as he doubles over and laughs by himself. 

 

overcome by laughter, seongwu doesn’t notice the pairs of eyes pointed at him; some confused, some amused, some interested. seongwu wheezes through another bout of laughter, fumbling with his phone when he sends minhyun another nonsensical text. 

 

seongwu shoves his phone back into his pocket with a dopey grin, not paying any mind to minhyun’s last panicked text. seongwu startles when he looks up to be met with at least 20 people staring at him, shoulders shooting up, lips parting in shock; of those 20 people, seongwu figures the good looking blonde male to be kang daniel. 

 

before seongwu can think to do otherwise, he laughs and grins at the blonde, a cheery “kang daniel oppa!” slipping from his lips. 

 

the blonde’s eyes widen comically, blinking rapidly, and his lips part in surprise (along with those of the girls’). the funny face makes seongwu lapse back into laughter, too amused—too tipsy, a voice in his head says. seongwu laughs when he realizes it sounds a lot like minhyun—to question why they look so shocked. 

 

at seongwu’s laughter, the blonde begins to chuckle too, lips stretched into a grin as he approaches seongwu and crouches to his eye level. after a moment of silence on the blonde’s part, seongwu peers at him curiously, waving for him to go on and say what he wants to say. 

 

the blonde’s words come out a bit hushed, as if he doesn’t want the pack of girls behind him to hear him, and seongwu finds himself leaning in a bit to pick up on his words, “can you say that again?” 

 

without a moment of hesitation, seongwu’s drunken mind decides for him—it’s his motto: there’s nothin’ a little bit of liquid courage can’t fix—and he announces, “sure thing, kang daniel oppa!” 

 

seongwu blinks and scratches his jaw when the blonde laughs again, staring at him with this real odd look in his eyes. 

 

is there something on his face? 

 

“have you had a bit too much to drink?” daniel looks around at the pavement around seongwu as if looking for empty solo cups, and seongwu follows his eyes, wondering if he might actually find one. 

 

“of course not!” seongwu huffs, lifting his hand and holding his thumb and pointer finger close together.    
“only this much!”

 

the blonde mimics the action, a wide smile on his lips—and  _ oh _ … he has a pretty smile... “ahh, only this much, huh?” 

 

seongwu nods quickly, and the sudden movement has the world spinning. seongwu groans and holds his head in his hands, and he thinks he’s going to throw up until big hands gently pry his hands from his face and replaces them.

 

if seongwu leans into the touch, no one can blame him. seongwu hums once the world is still again, “only that much.” 

 

seongwu pouts when daniel lowers his hands, but he doesn’t have the energy to do anything about it. 

 

“what are you doing here on the ground?” the blonde— _ kang daniel oppa _ , his mind fills in the blank for him—asks, tone soft as if speaking to a child. 

 

at the question, seongwu finds himself drawing a blank. why  _ was _ he on the ground? 

 

seongwu thinks about it for a second, but he comes up with nothing, so he decides on the easy explanation, “nyeon forced me to come to the game.” 

 

“nyeon?” the blonde arches a brow before a look of recognition washes over his features, “oh. hwang minhyun?”   

 

seongwu nods, grinning. “nyeon is my bestest of best friends!” 

 

daniel grins back, and maybe it’s because the sun is in his eyes, but seongwu catches himself feeling a little bit blinded. “i wouldn’t doubt it, but where is he now?”  

 

seongwu looks around and shrugs when he doesn’t find minhyun in the crowd, “i don’t know but nyeon promised to buy me nachos and a slushie if i came with him, but he only got me nachos…” seongwu heaves a dejected sigh, shoulders slumped as he thinks about the slushie he never got, but he rambles on when daniel nods encouragingly. “nyeon sucks. my new bestest of best friends is bug the bug.”  

 

the blonde snorts, but there’s no malice in it, “bug the bug?” 

 

seongwu laughs, looking back on the fond memories he and bug made together. “i named him myself!”

 

but then bug the bug’s tragic death flashes before his eyes, and seongwu is back to moping, lips twisted into a pout as he glares daggers at the girl attached to the evil shiny high heels that brought his friend to his sudden death. 

 

seongwu glares accusingly at the blonde still crouched before him, holding a grudge. it  _ was _ daniel’s fault that bug is dead, so he has the right to be mad. “one of  _ your _ girlfriends killed him.”

 

“one of my  _ girlfriends _ ?” daniel chokes, coughing into his fist, and he looks taken aback, eyes wide. seongwu doesn’t believe the act, still glaring (and pouting) as he nods.

 

“yeah, one of  _ your _ girlfriends.” seongwu repeats as he jabs a finger at the blonde’s ( _ oh? _ he’s quite toned?) chest. seongwu glances over at the girls watching on from afar, making an attempt at counting them, “over there. one… two… ten… eighteen… your eighteen girlfriends. one of them killed bug the bug.” 

 

daniel nods in understanding, features twisted into a grimace, “they are definitely  _ not _ my girlfriends,” daniel winces when seongwu shoots another glare at him, and he raises his hands in the air in surrender. “but i am very,  _ truly _ sorry for what happened to bug the bug.” 

 

seongwu’s mother always told him to forgive, so seongwu accepts the apology, snarl (pout) melting into a flat line, “fine. i forgive your not girlfriend.” 

 

the blonde smiles—man, seongwu thinks, the sun is really shining brightly today, isn’t it? “that’s very kind of you.” and he looks like he wants to say more but a series of dings cuts him off. 

 

daniel mumbles a curse under his breath as he digs his phone out of his pocket, eyebrows furrowing as he reads whatever notifications flash on his phone. 

 

seongwu seizes the sudden lapse in conversation to take in the blonde’s appearance; dirty blonde hair, soft features, broad shoulders and long legs, oh and he’s wearing a soccer jersey. 

 

seongwu arches a brow, confused by why the jersey looks so much like the one the university’s soccer team actually wears on the field and not like the ones sold in the gift shop. 

 

kang daniel. 

 

seongwu scratches his head. 

 

it  _ does _ sounds terribly familiar. 

 

“i’m sorry, i have to go now before coach chews me out.” the blonde’s voice breaks seongwu’s train of thought, and seongwu nods, mirroring daniel’s soft grin. the blonde worries at his lip as he returns seongwu’s steady gaze, “uh… wish me good luck?” 

 

seongwu cocks his head to the side, unsure of why he would have to wish the other good luck, but he figures it couldn’t hurt. seongwu shrugs and nods. 

 

on any other day, rational and (i can’t stress this enough)  _ sober _ seongwu would probably just give the other a quick “fighting!” or “good luck!”, but now we’re dealing with a very not sober seongwu, and apparently very not sober seongwu doesn’t think like sober seongwu does. 

 

in a swift motion, seongwu grabs the blonde by the front of his jersey and tugs, yanking the other in before planting a kiss on his cheek. seongwu lets his lips linger on the blonde’s warm skin for a second before breaking the kiss with a soft smack of the lips. 

 

seongwu moves back, and he pats the blonde’s other cheek once. “good luck, kang daniel oppa!” 

 

with that, seongwu lifts himself off the ground and waves a hand, “bye! i have to go force nyeon to get me a slushie!”

 

seongwu twirls around, the world spinning just the slightest as he does, and he goes off on his way, leaving a shocked daniel (and an even more shocked pack of groupies) behind. 

 

+

 

**ong seongwu @ongongong**

if anyone wants to get me coffee… pretty please… 

 

**niel @realdefdanik**

what kind of coffee does oomf like

 

+

 

to say seongwu wasn’t  _ maybe _ baiting a certain soccer player whose name starts with a D and ends with an L would be a lie. a very  _ tiny _ lie.

 

so what if seongwu has been reading and re-reading their texts and  _ maybe _ whining to minhyun about how much he regrets turning daniel down? it wasn’t as if seongwu planned on running into daniel’s arms as soon as the blonde strolled into the room with that annoying, jock-y, “i run this school” vibe of his— 

 

the library door swings open.

 

seongwu wonders if he’s a psychic. 

 

the students seated at the table closest to seongwu’s post immediately break into hushed whispers; due to the library’s rules or due to daniel’s presence, seongwu doesn’t know, but he prefers the former. 

 

“isn’t that kang daniel?” 

 

“my mans came here to get an education! a king!”

 

“student first, athlete second”

 

“will you stop with the student athlete jokes?”

 

“why is his shirt covered in coffee?” 

 

what?

 

oh.

 

firmly resisting the urge to stare at daniel’s exposed body, seongwu arches a brow when said student athlete comes to a stop in front of him. the younger carefully sets the four (three now that he’s spilled one over himself) cups of coffee on the counter, shooting a cheeky grin at the older, “i didn’t know what you liked so i just got whatever the cashier said was the best.” 

 

seongwu is seconds from melting right then and there when the students’ voices ring in his ears once more.

 

“oh my god—wasn’t he the one that was screaming at daniel? at the game?” 

 

“no fucking way.”

 

“oh my god, it is!” 

 

seongwu groans, covering his face with his hands. he points an accusing finger at daniel, who only stares back at him with a dopey grin on his lips. seongwu hisses, “what are you doing here?” 

 

the blonde shrugs, chuckling as he eyes seongwu’s reddening face. seongwu wills the blood rushing to his cheeks to go away, but all in vain because he only blushes more when daniel beams at him, “i got you coffee!” 

 

_ you don’t say, captain obvious? _

 

he scratches his ear when seongwu doesn’t appear to soften, “uh… surprise?” 

 

seongwu eyes dart from the coffee to daniel’s hopeful face, and back to the coffee, and to his stupid, adorable, puppy dog eyes, and back to the coffee. how was he supposed to be mad when daniel was so pure and innocent? seongwu bites back the wide grin fighting to take over. he decides to go with a tiny,  _ tiny _ smile, “thank you. that was really sweet of you.” 

 

daniel beams, entire face lighting up as he grins and nudges a coffee closer to seongwu’s hands, “you’re welcome! try this one!” he’s basically bouncing off the walls with excitement, voice growing louder by the second and attracting more attention, but seongwu doesn’t have the heart to remind him that they’re in a library. “the cashier said it’s their most ordered drink!” 

 

seongwu snorts, but he goes along with it, quickly snatching up the drink and taking a sip. it’s more to hide his smile than anything, but the blonde’s expectant look makes seongwu feel like he should at least make an effort to be energetic. 

 

seongwu takes a long sip and widens his eyes like the actors do in commercials, easy smile on his lips, “it’s real good! do you want to try some?” seongwu holds out the drink to him, tilting the straw to the younger’s lips. 

 

daniel tenses, eyes widening, and seongwu notes that his ears burn red.

 

“not thirsty?” seongwu cocks his head to the side, confused by why daniel froze up at his offer. the younger’s ears are near crimson and his face isn’t too far off either. it’s seongwu’s turn to scratch his head. 

 

seongwu leans in, tilting his head to catch daniel’s downcast eyes, “uh… are you alright?” 

 

the younger fakes a cough, seongwu’s voice having startled him from his reverie. “what?” 

 

seongwu offers his drink again, eyes narrowed in suspicion when the blonde deliberately avoids his stare. seongwu snickers, “i don’t have a contagious terminal illness, if that’s what you’re freaked out about.” 

 

daniel waves his hands frantically, “no! no, no that’s not what i—it’s just that uh…” the blonde’s ears are now an angry shade of red, and seongwu almost fears for them. was that normal? seongwu nods along as he takes another sip, urging daniel to go on. daniel scratches his cheek, pupils wavering, “it would be like a kiss… you know? if i drank it after you? it’s embarrassing, i know—“

 

seongwu chokes. 

 

what a sweet, innocent boy, seongwu thinks. he snorts, “why are you so hung up over an indirect kiss when i like…” seongwu blinks, heat inching up his collar, “literally kissed you… not too long ago?” as time goes by, daniel’s shy act is beginning to rub off on seongwu more and more. seongwu smacks at his face lightly, chasing away the blush creeping up his neck. 

 

“it’s different!” the younger defends, crossing his arms over his chest. “you’re not drunk right now.” 

 

seongwu takes another sip (at this point he’s just teasing daniel) and he nods, “that’s true. i have no shame when i’m drunk.” seongwu eyes the soccer player up and down, sly smirk on his lips when he remembers one clear fact. “you’re not too modest yourself, though.” 

 

daniel’s eyes widen, appalled, pointing to himself, “me?” 

 

seongwu nods, laughing at how oblivious the younger appears to be. he leans his elbows on the counter separating them, and he cradles his face with a hand, other hand gesturing at the younger’s entire physique. “a big guy like you is kinda hard to miss, don’t you think? more so when you’re exposing your body to the world…” seongwu’s voice lowers, just loud enough for daniel to catch. he pokes daniel’s chest, touch just soft enough to ghost along his pec and graze against the damp fabric of daniel’s coffee stained shirt. 

 

“i’m not complaining, though.” seongwu grins after a heated moment, and he drops his hand, touch gone just as suddenly as it had appeared. 

 

+

 

daniel wants the ground to swallow him up whole. 

 

or like.

 

he could cry. 

 

maybe he’ll cry and  _ then _ have the ground swallow him. 

 

yeah. that’s a good plan. 

 

what was he thinking sending that? that cringey  confession slash monologue? why did he think that’d be a good idea? 

 

was it panic? 

 

was it “oh no, he’s actually going to say no this time, i must whip out the big guns and profess my undying love”? 

 

is he insane?

 

and saying it through text too? when he could’ve just poured his heart out to seongwu face to face?

 

so lame. 

 

there’s no way seongwu was going to have a change of heart; definitely not after daniel pulled a stunt like that. 

 

daniel just barely has enough dignity left to resist the urge to groan and curl into a ball. he locks his phone, shoving it into his pocket before he finds a way to embarrass himself further. he adamantly ignores the fact that seongwu is quite literally within an arm’s reach of him, avoiding looking in the older’s direction altogether.

 

“i’m sorry.” he starts, eyes firmly set on the coffee cups he’d brought along earlier. “forget i ever said anything. i won’t bother you anymore.” 

 

he shoots seongwu what he hopes to be a reassuring smile, but it probably comes off more as a grimace. he decides he has to get out of there before he drowns in humiliation, turning his back on seongwu and moving to leave the library (and what he’s done) behind. 

 

but as if the situation couldn’t get any more cliche, it does. 

 

a hand closes around the fabric of his shirt—well, seongwu’s sweater. 

 

“daniel, wait.”

 

daniel freezes. 

 

_ don’t get your hopes up. don’t get your hopes up. don’t get your hopes up. _

 

seongwu’s fingers curl into daniel’s shirt. 

 

_ daniel, don’t get your hopes— _

 

seongwu’s voice is quiet, but daniel hears it loud and clear. 

 

his simple question drowns out all other noise and makes daniel’s heart stop.

 

“what if i say yes?” 

 

daniel’s mouth goes dry and he turns around, staring at the older with wide eyes. 

 

“what if—what if you  _ what _ ?”

 

seongwu holds his gaze, worrying at his lips as he shifts his weight from side to side. 

 

squaring his shoulders, seongwu repeats it slowly, small smile on his lips, “what if i said yes.” 

 

daniel thinks he’s going to faint from the excitement and joy alone. 

 

_ yes? _ if he said yes?

 

that means he’s going to say yes, right? 

 

the older clears his throat, coughing into his fist, and he scratches his cheek (daniel is starting to think it’s a habit; a very cute habit) “you said one date. if i said yes, can you promise me that you won’t expect more from me? more than what i can give you?” 

 

at first, daniel doesn’t get it. 

 

_ more? _ more of what? seongwu’s existence alone is more than enough for daniel. 

 

but then, he understands. 

 

more than one date. 

 

seongwu is saying yes to one date, not to a second or third. 

 

just one date.

 

daniel’s just asking for one, though? 

 

postponing the extra thinking and uncertainty, daniel focuses on what’s important. 

 

seongwu is going to say  _ yes _ . 

 

“i promise you.” daniel grins, “i’m only asking you for one date.”

 

seongwu mirrors his grin, and it’s one of  _ those _ smiles, the ones that make daniel swoon. the ones that start out as a tiny quirk of the lips and slowly grow into a wide grin; the ones that make seongwu’s eyes crinkle and nose scrunch; the ones that look like he’s going to laugh but he’s trying to hold it back. 

 

those are his favorite. 

 

seongwu’s smile is his favorite. 

 

the older nods, “okay.” 

 

daniel doesn’t know if he’s dreaming or not.

 

he has to ask again, “what?” 

 

seongwu snickers, but his eyes shine with sincerity. “i said okay.” 

 

daniel’s breath hitches, and he still can’t believe it though his body reacts immediately, lips stretched into a beaming smile, and he’s closed the short distance between them without even knowing it. 

 

“i have to hear you say it.” he takes a hold of seongwu’s hands, cradling them in his own, “say you’ll go on a date with me.”

 

seongwu laughs at him. he laughs and he laughs, and though daniel should probably be a bit embarrassed by the eyes on them, he’s too focused on seongwu’s smile and melodious laughter to really feel anything but adoration and happiness. 

 

seongwu grins, and something is so radiant about it, daniel thinks he’s blinded, and he welcomes it. seongwu hums, “yes. i will go on a date with you.” 

 

+

 

**ong seongwu**

so

 

**me**

so

 

**ong seongwu**

one date

 

**me**

one date

if you haven’t changed your mind

 

**ong seongwu**

i haven’t

 

**me**

is sunday okay

 

**ong seongwu**

it’s perfect

+

 

seongwu had nearly face planted off of the side of his bed when he received the dreaded “i’m on my way” text. he wasn’t exactly one to obsess over his appearance but for some odd, inexplicable reason, he couldn’t pick out an outfit to wear for the life of him. 

 

minhyun had said something about him wanting to look cute for daniel, but seongwu refuses to believe a word that comes out of minhyun’s mouth. seongwu is a strong, independent man, and he does  _ not _ dress up to impress dumb boys;  _ especially _ not some fool of a soccer player with a stupid smile and glittering eyes— _ god, _ what is he even saying? 

 

he groans and locks the thought away into a box deep,  _ deep _ down in the pits of his subconscious.  

 

whatever. 

 

he’ll just wear what he usually does. 

 

black jeans, a day old t-shirt and some sneakers. 

 

yeah. 

 

cologne too. 

 

is chapstick too much? 

 

seongwu’s phone goes off again just as he’s tugging on his favorite denim jacket, and he almost has a heart attack once he reads the notification. 

 

_ i’m here _

 

heart in his throat, seongwu just barely resists the sudden urge to jump out the window. 

 

“get your shit together, ong seongwu.” seongwu hisses under his breath as he hops onto the elevator, snapping some sense into himself, and he punches in the button to the ground floor with just a bit too much force. he slaps his face lightly, “this is just a date.”

 

just one date. 

 

“it’s nothing more.” seongwu sighs, repeating that to himself like a mantra, and he takes a sharp breath before he pushes past the doors to his dormitory, “one date.” 

 

seongwu spots daniel first. it’s kind of hard to _ not _ notice daniel with his stupid “i came out of a manhwa” proportions and his stupid dreamy looks and the stupid halo of heavenly light that hangs over his head—though maybe it’s only seongwu that sees that. 

 

it’s going to be a long day. 

 

daniel is leaning against a car across the street from seongwu’s dormitory, and seongwu quickly bounds over to the younger, hands stuffed inside his pockets in a poor attempt at appearing casual (he’s already starting to regret admitting to the fact that he’s excited for their date—god, it’s so odd to call it that). 

 

seongwu sneaks up behind the blonde, whispering into his ear, “you look nice.”

 

the blonde startles, jumping a foot into the air with his arms flailing, and it’s the cutest thing ever—what? who said that? 

 

“seongwu hyung, you scared me!” daniel clutches his chest, clearly not sparing seongwu any theatrics as he takes a long, exaggerated breath. the blonde scratches his nape and plasters a half-smile-half-smirk onto his face, making a poorly concealed attempt at acting natural as he crosses his arms over his chest and leans on the car behind him. seongwu can see through the bad boy act though, and he can’t say he’s not amused by how nervous daniel actually is. 

 

seongwu arches a brow. 

 

the tips of his ears burning red in embarrassment, the blonde clears his throat, faking a cough before he tacks on a timid, “you look nice too.” 

 

seongwu snorts at that and daniel tucks his hair behind his ear (seongwu has watched daniel do this enough times to know that it’s a habit of the younger’s; something he does when he’s shy or embarrassed; and he thinks it’s the most endearing thing ever; more so considering the fact that daniel’s hair isn’t even long enough to tuck away).

 

“thank you.” seongwu laughs, glad he didn’t skip on the chapstick in the end, and he nods in the direction of the car, “is this yours? i didn’t know you had a car.” 

 

“uh… well… ” daniel does the ear thing again, seongwu notes with a smile, and he cocks his head to the side sheepishly while he rushes to explain, “uh actually it’s my mom’s car…  _ wow _ it’s kind of embarrassing and so not cool to take someone out on a date in your mom’s car, but i didn’t really think about it and—”  

 

seongwu lays a hand on daniel’s chest, hoping to soothe him a bit, “daniel, slow down.” the blonde had said that in one breath, and seongwu laughs at the way the younger’s chest heaves at the exertion. “it’s okay. it’s a little embarrassing for you, yes. but i think it’s cute.” 

 

“you what— _ me? cute _ ?” daniel chokes out, eyes wide. if not so comical, seongwu would probably coo at the adorable look on daniel’s face—who is he kidding? he’s cooing on the inside, but on the outside he laughs, totally amused and endeared by the blonde. 

 

seongwu nods, and he shrugs, “i said what i said.” 

 

and it’s in one of those cringe worthy but annoyingly butterfly inducing, slow motion and spring flowers blossoming effects, moments that seongwu notices that his hand is placed right over daniel’s heart. 

 

it’s almost as if seongwu is holding daniel’s heart in his hand (he kind of is), and seongwu can  _ feel  _ daniel’s rapid heartbeat against his palm. 

 

seongwu’s eyes flicker up to look at daniel’s face. 

 

he wonders if he should be more surprised by the fact that daniel is already looking right back at him, brown eyes clouded with this stupid softness and comforting warmth. 

 

seongwu’s heart betrays him. 

 

_ god damn it. _

 

seongwu drops his hand as if burned, and he shoves it back in his pocket. 

 

“so?” seongwu forces a cocky smirk onto his lips, refusing to look daniel in the eye, and he rounds the car, “i hope loitering around in front of my dormitory isn’t your idea of a date because if so, i’m going to have to change my mind.” 

 

the blonde rolls his eyes, but he grins and hops into the driver’s seat, “this is going to be  _ the _ date of your life, ong seongwu.” 

 

after half an hour of easy banter, a battle of custody over the car radio and serious critiques of the songs playing on said radio, the car finally comes to a stop.

daniel grins, and he does a little drumroll on the steering wheel, “we’re here!”  

 

ferris wheel and rollercoasters and bumper cars, and cotton candy and hot dog stands, and children whooping with laughter on the kiddie rides as their parents take pictures and wave with affectionate grins on their lips.

 

seongwu knows exactly where daniel has taken him without even looking at the big sign hanging above the entrance. 

 

lotte world.

 

“ _ this _ ,” seongwu’s eyes flicker from daniel’s outstretched arms and jazz hands to the colorful scene just outside the car, and he laughs, a fire of childhood memories burning in the bottom of his stomach, “has got to be the most cliche thing ever.” 

 

“i know.” the grin that plays on daniel’s smile is radiant and oozing with sunshine and happiness, and seongwu knows he’s fucked. daniel laughs in that annoyingly endearing way of his, and he nudges seongwu with his elbow, “not all cliches are bad though, right?” 

 

seongwu snorts.

 

before seongwu can even get a word out, daniel’s face drops and he looks so much like a kicked puppy that seongwu wonders if he should like lean over the gear console and hug him or something. 

 

daniel’s eyes flicker from seongwu’s curious stare to the entrance of the amusement park, voice dripping with hesitance, “hold on…  _ are _ all cliches bad? you’re a literature major, so you probably read a lot of books, and i know you like to watch movies, and oh my god, you must hate cliches so much, and for our first date i brought you to an amusement park, and that’s like  _ the _ cliche of all cliches, right? cause amusement park dates are super cliche?  _ oh my god _ what was i thinking…”

 

at this point seongwu can’t even bear to listen. daniel is babbling at about a mile a minute in slight satoori, and seongwu is sure the little train of thought in the younger’s head is going to derail at any moment now. 

 

the older thinks he might just get a migraine from second-hand panic—is that a thing? probably. either way he knows he should calm the younger down, and he wonders what would effectively shut daniel up. 

 

seongwu doesn’t really think much about it—bold of you to assume he thinks at all—instead he just allows his instincts to take over. 

 

he takes a hold of daniel’s chin and gently turns his face until the younger is looking into his eyes.

 

“daniel.” seongwu’s hand wanders north, and he cups daniel’s jaw instead, thumb tracing circles into the skin of the younger’s cheek. seongwu smiles, “has anyone ever told you that you talk a lot?” 

 

the blonde stares into his eyes for a moment, and seongwu watches as daniel tenses and relaxes, the panic in his eyes fading and being replaced by something that seongwu still hasn’t really identified yet—he just knows that it makes his heart race.

 

daniel nods, breathing out a grounding sigh, and he smiles. it’s not the mega watt, ear-to-ear grin that daniel usually sports; it’s a subtle, tiny tilt of the lips, but it’s radiant all the same. daniel covers seongwu’s hand with his own, and his smile widens the slightest, but it’s still so  _ soft _ around the edges—seongwu wonders when he had started to wax poetics about someone’s fucking smile. 

 

“actually, yes.” daniel laughs, and seongwu unconsciously smiles at the sound. daniel’s hand still covers seongwu’s own, and seongwu finds himself really liking the warmth that radiates from daniel’s palm. “my mom said that once i learned how to talk, i never stopped. i actually don’t have a roommate either because i talk a lot in my sleep too.”

 

seongwu snorts at that, “i wonder what you talk about in your sleep.” 

 

daniel’s eyes light up, and seongwu just  _ knows _ that he’s going to say something corny and annoyingly smooth.

 

“you, probably.”

 

eyes widening, seongwu’s face heats up, but he coughs to cover it up. his mouth opens and closes, grasping for words, but all he can come up with is a choked “bold, are we?” 

 

the younger grins, appearing unfazed and not the slightest bit embarrassed by his cheesy line, and he tugs seongwu’s hand back when seongwu moves to wipe his hands on his jeans, holding it in his own again. daniel shrugs, “a little.” 

 

daniel bites his lip—seongwu scolds himself when his eyes immediately dart down to watch how daniel worries at his plush bottom lip—, looking a bit anxious again, “but really, are you okay with this? lotte world? we can go somewhere else if you don’t like it.”      

 

seongwu breathes a long sigh, faking exhaustion, though he can’t help the fond smile that tugs at his lips. he gives daniel’s hand a quick squeeze, “you’re thinking too much. you’re starting to stress me out too.” seongwu glances at the entrance of the amusement park again, “and i actually happen to like cliches. moreso when they include cotton candy and pretzels.” 

 

“so…” daniel draws out, “you don’t hate lotte world?” 

 

seongwu rolls his eyes, “just shut up for a second and get out of the car.” seongwu bites back a laugh as he watches the younger wrestle with his seat belt for a second in his haste to follow seongwu’s instructions. “i like lotte world just fine.” 

 

once they’re both out of the car, daniel laughs, relaxing, “come on, then! i want to buy a headband!”

 

the younger offers his hand, and seongwu takes it. 

 

here goes nothing.

 

+

 

it’s nearing the park’s closing hours, but seongwu had insisted on riding the ferris wheel, dragging daniel into the queue. seongwu had taken a hold of daniel’s hand to do said dragging, so daniel wasn’t really complaining. if seongwu wanted to go on the ferris wheel then daniel would be damned if he didn’t go on it with him.

 

in hindsight though, maybe daniel should have put up more of a fight. 

 

ferris wheels are probably the most cliche you can get—hell, daniel even has a cousin who  _ proposed _ to his girlfriend on this same ferris wheel. 

 

the night sky and the stars and the lights from below added in with the peace and quiet away from the other parts of the park created this real odd sense of serenity. the silence (as close as you can get to it at a damn theme park) only highlighted the fact that it was just he and seongwu together in the world for the moment. 

 

he didn’t know how long he was going to last this long alone with seongwu. 

 

seongwu, who looked nothing short of heavenly opposite him; seongwu, who glowed under the golden fairy lights stringed around the cart; seongwu, who he couldn’t take his eyes off of even if he tried; seongwu, who caught him staring and had the prettiest rosy flush coloring his ears and cheeks. 

 

god, he was done for, seongwu is so beautiful— _ shit, _ did he say that out loud? 

 

seongwu snorts, “yes, you did.” 

 

the older continues, amusment dancing in his eyes, “and you’re not too bad yourself.”

 

daniel wonders if he’d die jumping from up here.  

 

“so…” seongwu starts, wiping his hands on his jeans, wide eyes darting around at the scene splayed before (below, i suppose) them—the colorful signs and the winding path from ride to ride, the parents rounding up their children and doing head counts and packing to leave the park, and the couples strolling around hand in hand—, looking anywhere but at daniel’s imploring eyes.

 

daniel has never seen seongwu look so uncertain of himself. daniel had always considered seongwu to be the confident one in this…  _ kind of…  _ relationship, so seeing him hesitant and uncertain had daniel second guessing himself too, fidgeting anxiously with his hands.

 

“so.” daniel repeats, shooting the other a subtle, encouraging nod as if to say “go on, i’m listening.”

 

seongwu stares at daniel for a moment, eyes searching—searching for what, daniel can’t be sure, but a soft smile plays on seongwu’s lips a second later. daniel takes that as seongwu finding what he was looking for. he makes a mental note to ask seongwu about it later (as an afterthought, he wonders if seongwu himself even knows what he was searching for). 

 

“do you actually like me?” seongwu asks, lips quirked into something similar to a half-smile-half-smirk; one that almost looks challenging if it weren’t also so soft around the edges. 

 

though he wasn’t exactly expecting seongwu to be so direct about it, daniel can’t say he’s surprised either. 

 

he’s thought a lot about it over the past month or so that he’s actually  _ talked  _ to seongwu after years of just admiring (read in jaehwan’s voice: staring like a lovesick puppy) from afar.

 

he’s stayed up on some nights thinking and thinking again, wondering just what it was about seongwu that made the angels sing and light shine down on him.

 

the answer came like a falling comet.

 

daniel nods. 

 

“yes. i like you.” 

 

seongwu narrows his eyes in suspicion, “and not just ‘cause i look like an angel without wings?” 

 

daniel snorts, “i like you for more than your looks, seongwu hyung.” 

 

the older cocks his head to the side. the confident glimmer in his eyes back again in all its glory, and daniel heaves a mental sigh of relief at its return. seongwu moves closer to daniel, and it takes everything in daniel to fight the natural instinct to slide away. 

 

a fire dances in seongwu’s eyes, “is that so?” 

 

“you already know this, hyung.” daniel scratches his nape as the embarrassing memory of him pouring his heart out at the library surges back to haunt him. “i told you that day at the library.” 

 

**me**

i thought you were beautiful when i saw you here in my first year

 

we had a course together last semester and every single day i’d hear you laugh or see you smile and it would be the best part of my day

 

you’re passionate and witty and caring

 

i can’t say i like you just yet but i want to get to know you

 

if only you’d let me

 

seongwu hums, smiling at the memory, “no, you didn’t. that was through text, so it doesn’t count.” the older is now right next to him, turned to face him, “i want to hear you say it out loud.” 

 

of course, seongwu would. seongwu breathed to watch daniel squirm in embarrassment and make him say the cheesiest things in a poor attempt at wooing him. 

 

and daniel, foolish daniel, he’d do whatever seongwu wanted. if it made seongwu even a tiny bit happier or if it made him smile, daniel would do it without thinking twice.

 

is that what loves does to you?

 

daniel takes a sharp breath, and he wills himself to just spit out the words before he can filter himself—his mom always told him that it was easier not to think too much about what to say, to just let heart take control and allow the words fall out. 

 

he takes seongwu’s hand and stares at the way seongwu intertwines their fingers. 

 

“to be fair, at first it was just an attraction.” daniel admits, “you were—you  _ are _ beautiful. you really fucking took my breath away, ong seongwu. me? a naive, little first year? i had no idea what was coming for me when i walked into that damn library looking for a place to nap.” daniel cocks his head to the side, and he watches as seongwu’s lips stretch into a wide smile. he really is ethereal, daniel thinks, like a star. 

 

seongwu is beautiful, but he’s also so much more. 

 

“but now, after getting to know you and going on this date with you, it’s not just that.” daniel breathes out a whistle, smiling at seongwu with all the sincerity that he can conjure up, “i like you for more than how good you look in black and your stupid dreamy eyes and cute smile.” seongwu cuts in with a “ _ my dreamy eyes are not stupid, thank you very much _ .”, but daniel only snorts and ignores him. 

 

“i like you because you’re kind and smart as hell. you’re passionate about what you love even if others” ( seongwu cuts in again with a chipper “ _ everyone _ .”) “think it’s lame. you’re just you.” daniel says it in simple words—sometimes it’s the only way to explain something inexplicable. 

 

he presses a soft kiss to the back of seongwu’s hand, “that’s what i like most about you. you are  _ you _ .”

 

he’s feeling a bit woozy from all of this romance and confession stuff, but his heart knows that  _ this _ —he and seongwu—is right. 

 

daniel laughs, “this is going to sound really corny but i like me better when i’m with you.”

 

seongwu blinks. 

 

“isn’t that a song?”

 

daniel nods. 

 

“yes. that is is a song.”

 

seongwu scratches his head with his free hand. “so is that like…  _ our _ song now?”

 

daniel shrugs. “sure.” 

 

the two are silent for a moment, merely soaking in the peace and quiet and enjoying each other’s company. 

 

daniel is the one that breaks the ice, cheeky grin tugging at his lips. “that was kind of cliche, huh?” motioning to the air above them, daniel snorts, “a confession on a ferris wheel?” 

 

seongwu pretends to think really hard, stroking an imaginary beard before he nods, “yeah. it was.” daniel sighs, and the older bursts into hearty laughter. “oh, come on. the ferris wheel confession scene is  _ the _ cliche. you can’t argue against that.” 

 

“i really can’t.”

 

they share a laugh, matching grins dancing on their lips, and they lapse back into comfortable silence once their laughter dies down. 

 

it’s nice—just coexisting beside someone. 

 

no one has to start a conversation to ease the awkward silence. no expectations. no pressure. it’s just seongwu and daniel. 

 

the ride is coming to an end, and daniel closes his eyes, breathing in a long breath.

 

he wants to ask seongwu a question. 

 

he wants to look seongwu in the eye and ask if seongwu likes him too. 

 

he wants seongwu to say yes, he does like him too. 

 

theirs is the next cart to be unloaded. 

 

daniel means to ask “ _ ong seongwu, do you like me? _ ” 

 

but instead he says “actually, i  _ can _ argue against that.”

 

the ferris wheel stops, and seongwu and daniel rise from their seats once the ride attendant signals them to. 

 

daniel gets off first and holds out a hand for seongwu. the older takes it with an amused “ _ thank you _ .” daniel follows up on his argument once they’re both on solid ground. “ _ the _ cliche is accidentally falling onto your crush and kissing them. sparks flying and fireworks through that one awkward slight brushing of lips type of thing, you know?”

 

seongwu’s laughter drowns out the ride operator’s chipper “ _ see you next time! _ ”

 

“i’ll admit, that is one hell of an argument, but i still think the ferris wheel beats it.” 

 

daniel fakes offense, and he swats seongwu’s hand away. “i can’t believe i like a fool.” 

 

seongwu laughs and he laughs, making grabby hands for daniel’s hand, pouting but continuing to argue his side. “okay, but listen! it’s romantic! ferris wheels are like the symbol of everlasting love!” seongwu makes jazz hands as he motions back at the ride. “you think your relationship has gone dry? go on a damn ferris wheel!” 

 

the blonde snorts at the logic, but he humors seongwu—he would do anything to make seongwu laugh, maybe. daniel stops dodging seongwu’s hands, and he tugs seongwu in by his denim jacket, making sure to look into his eyes when he asks, “so what you’re saying is me and you going on that thing was, in your opinion, the epitome of real romance?” 

 

seongwu’s eyes widen, and his lips part. 

 

daniel wonders if it would be a cliche to kiss him.

 

seongwu blushes from the neck up, cheeks rosy pink, and daniel grins proudly. that’s right. he did that. 

 

in a surge of courage, daniel’s hand wanders north, and he cups seongwu’s jaw, thumb tracing little shapes into seongwu’s cheek.

 

daniel doesn’t remember who leaned in first, or who tilted what way, but they—their lips—are only inches away from each other.

 

seongwu nods slowly, and he looks up at daniel from under his eyelashes. seongwu smiles, “that’s exactly what i’m saying.” 

 

one of them closes the distance—maybe they both do. seongwu’s hands grasp at daniel’s shirt, and daniel cradles seongwu’s face, their lips sealed in a sweet kiss.

 

it’s perfect.

 

sparks flying and fireworks lighting up the night sky— 

 

huh? 

 

seongwu breaks the kiss first, startled by the loud sounds. 

 

the blonde follows seongwu’s eyes, and he can’t help but laugh at what he sees.

 

fireworks. actual fireworks. 

 

seongwu grins as he watches the beautiful display of vibrant colors and lights painting the night sky. he turns to look at daniel, “is this going to be our thing? cliches?” 

 

bringing seongwu a bit closer to him, daniel mirrors seongwu’s wide smile, “i think it already is our thing.”

 

daniel tugs on seongwu’s hand. “come on, i should get you back home.”

 

+

 

a weight is dropped onto his shoulders the moment they turn into the road holding seongwu’s dormitory. 

 

their time was limited. 

 

daniel was counting the seconds. 

he purposely avoided thinking about what happens after this—after the one date seongwu promised him—, but the daunting thought always had a way of wiggling its way to the front of daniel’s mind. 

 

seongwu’s words echoed in his head. 

 

_ can you promise me that you won’t expect more from me? more than what i can give you? _

 

like the lovesick fool that he was, daniel had promised that one time was enough, that yes, he won’t want more. 

 

he wonders when he had gotten into the habit of making empty promises. 

 

daniel knows he’s being ungrateful and selfish, maybe, but the truth is that he wants  _ more _ . 

 

he wants so much more than what seongwu can give him. he wants more than one date. he wants more than one day with seongwu. he wants to be with seongwu. 

 

daniel wants seongwu in every way. 

 

what the hell was he going to do now? 

 

“for a jock, you sure do think a lot, huh?” 

 

seongwu is staring at him with that look on his face again; that teasing but fond look that always gets daniel’s hopes up. daniel usually revels in it but now it just makes him want to curl up into a ball and cry about the injustices of the world. 

 

daniel fakes a laugh but it sounds artificial and forced even to his own ears, “i spare my teammates the trouble and think enough for all of us combined.”

 

the older definitely senses daniel’s unusual demeanor, but he chooses not to mention it (thanks seongwu, daniel thinks, you’re so considerate and understanding, and it’s just another reason why i like you so much). 

 

seongwu snorts, “a true team player.” 

 

he’s just gathered enough courage to say what’s really on his mind when seongwu comes to halt in front of a door, hand vanishing to dig around in his pockets.

 

a set of keys dangles from seongwu’s fingers. 

 

daniel’s time is up.  

 

“this is my place.” seongwu says simply, easy smile on his lips. 

 

the younger nods, lips pressed into a thin line. he doesn’t trust himself to say more. 

 

“thank you for taking me to lotte world. it’s got to be years since i last went.” seongwu’s smile widens as he eyes daniel, and despite how contagious seongwu crooked smile is, it takes every single ounce of daniel’s will power to force a smile onto his face. seongwu’s voice dips, “and i’m glad to have gone with you. i had lots of fun.” 

 

daniel stares into seongwu’s eyes, memorizing the slopes and curves of seongwu’s features (he doesn’t know when,  _ if _ , he’ll ever get another chance to do so). he softly kicks at the floor, “i had fun with you too. thank you.”  _ for giving me this one date.  _ daniel puts on his best i’m-okay-don’t-worry-about-me face and he juts his chin at the door. “it’s pretty late. you should go inside and rest.” 

 

the older nods slowly, but he doesn’t move an inch. 

 

they’re quiet for a long minute. neither say a word and neither move to go. 

 

daniel waits. 

 

he waits for a sign, a signal,  _ anything _ that suggests that seongwu wants him too. 

 

seongwu opens his mouth to speak and daniel holds his breath. 

 

“you should head back too.” seongwu finally says.  

 

he wonders if seongwu can hear his heart break or if he’s the only one. 

 

daniel ducks his head, mop of blonde hair hiding him from seongwu’s eyes, “yeah. i should.” 

 

it’s okay. 

 

seongwu had said this from the start. 

 

you always knew it would end this way, kang daniel.

 

but knowing doesn’t make it hurt less, does it? 

 

the younger laughs to himself, entertained by his own idiocy. 

 

he looks back up at seongwu, ignoring the way his foolish heart races at the sight of the older, “goodnight, seongwu hyung.”  

 

seongwu shoots him one last smile, “goodnight, daniel.” 

 

he closes the door. 

 

daniel stays for a minute after seongwu’s shut the door. 

 

he doesn’t cry, or knock, or call seongwu’s name.  

 

he just stays there.

 

“i want more, seongwu hyung.” the blonde breathes out in a broken whisper. he itches to just barge into seongwu’s dorm and demand more, but he stays exactly where he is, eyes downcast and shoulders hunched. 

 

he replays the entire day in his head; images of seongwu smiling and laughing playing before his eyes; the ghost of seongwu’s touch clinging to his skin and daniel’s hand twitches, closing around thin air where seongwu’s own hand should be. he repeats it like a prayer, “i want so much more.” 

 

the door swings open again, and seongwu’s head pokes out. 

 

“oh, you’re still here.” seongwu says, a light tilt to his voice as if asking a question. 

 

in a moment of horror, daniel wonders if seongwu had heard what he just said, but seongwu doesn’t give him the chance to ask. 

 

seongwu licks his lips, and he looks kind of out of breath. 

 

“i sent you a text.” 

 

by instinct daniel reaches into his pocket for his phone, but seongwu cuts in before he can. 

 

“don’t look at it yet.” seongwu has this look on his face; a sly, mischievous smile and sparkling eyes. he looks so excited about it, about this little surprise text, and who was daniel to deny seongwu of anything? “wait until you’re outside, okay? don’t look at it until you’re out of the building.”

 

daniel caves, cracking a smile at the older’s antics. heartache and war with his own emotions aside, seongwu always had a way of making things just a bit lighter; easier. 

 

“okay.” 

 

seongwu shuts the door on his face (again), but the action doesn’t make daniel want to break down into tears. 

 

this time it makes him laugh. 

 

for the hell of it, daniel wonders if he should just look at the text now. 

 

“patience, kang daniel!” seongwu shouts from behind the closed door. “go on! outside you go!”

 

daniel has no choice, but to go along with it.    

 

shaking his head, he makes his way to the elevator down the corridor. 

 

+

 

**ong seongwu**

is wednesday okay

 

**me**

okay for what

 

**ong seongwu**

okay for our second date

 

+

 

daniel screams. 

 

he shouts and whoops in joy and hops around in a damn circle, doing some octopus meets EDM victory dance that he wouldn’t be caught dead doing in front of anyone other than his cats. 

 

“why don’t you ever dance like that after your soccer games?” 

 

record scratch. freeze frame. 

 

daniel’s blood runs cold. 

 

oh my god.

 

slowly, daniel cranes his neck up, looking up at the direction of the voice.

 

there, around 5 floors up, is ong seongwu in all his glory, leaning out an open window (his dorm room window, daniel finally assumes) and looking at daniel with amusement clear on his features. 

 

_ when the hell did he get there? _

 

a more urgent question,  _ did he hear daniel squeal like a schoolgirl?  _

 

daniel chokes, coughing, and he forces out a laugh. “uh… because… it’s embarrassing?” 

 

“was pretty cute to me.” seongwu grins, and daniel wonders what the hell he’s supposed to do when he’s overcome with the overwhelming urge to kiss someone senseless but there are approximately 5 floors separating them. 

 

“so… a second date, huh?” daniel asks, growing bold again as excitement runs through his veins. 

 

seongwu simply nods. “yes.” he waves daniel away after a moment. “go home now, idiot. it’s dark out. text me when you get home safely.” 

 

daniel grins, and he doesn’t think he’s ever felt so light—so giddy. he waves up at seongwu, shooting him a blinding smile, “i will! goodnight, seongwu hyung!” 

 

the last thing daniel hears before he gets into his mom’s car is seongwu’s soft “goodnight, niel.”

 

looks like the ride on the ferris wheel did some good. 

 

who wasn’t a sucker for cliches?

**Author's Note:**

> thank you for reading!!! i hope the plot holes didn't fuck up the flow too bad :< mwah i hope it was a fun read <3
> 
> if you want to read my social media au you can find it [here!!!](https://twitter.com/applewooj/status/1013989852428357639)


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